A little while ago, Parker did a ranking of ESPN’s TV shows and with the letting go of Bill Simmons by ESPN, I thought now would be an appropriate time to rank the six national shows of ESPN Radio. I understand that not everyone listens to every ESPN national radio show and even I don’t (we’ll get to that) but I think this ranking will help you with your ESPN Radio listening experience. Also, if you don’t get every national show on your local station, which I don’t think anyplace outside of Bristol does, then download the ESPN Radio app for free. Side note: Technically, Freddie Coleman is a national show, but it’s on so late that I doubt any of you have listened to it.
6. The Sedano Show
Formerly Sedano and Stink, this show appears at the sixth and last place on the list simply because I have never listened to it. I have nothing against Jorge Sedano, the show just comes on at a weird time for me to listen to it. I’m sure it’s a fine show, but I don’t actually know so he comes in at last on this list. Sorry, Jorge.
5. The Herd
Ugh, this guy. I have not been able to stand Colin Cowherd since his departure from SportsNation where he and Michelle Beadle were very good together. On his own, no one is able to call him out on some of his ridiculous opinions. Seriously, his defense of Tom Brady can sometimes be absurd and his whole “backwards hat” take is just laughable. And I haven’t even mentioned his thoughts on John Wall. The fact that he thinks Wall’s immature because he danced one time his rookie year is deserving of a suspension. OK, I’m getting really mad so I’m just going to move on to the next show.
4. Mike and Mike
What happened to this show? I used to love it. It’s still a vast improvement from Colin Cowherd, but Mike and Mike has lost a lot of its luster to me. The chemistry between the Mikes is terrific as it should be after 15 years on the radio together and they have really great banter. My biggest problem with the show is that because it’s the premier show on ESPN Radio and a lot of people listen to it, the show has become very PC. The analysis is very vanilla, in my opinion. Like, I don’t need to hear Mike Golic, a former football player who’s only at ESPN for that reason, on a basketball game. It’s really a show where you only listen to it now if you used to love it. I can’t imagine they’re getting new listeners at nearly the same rate they used to. Alas, they don’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.
3. The Right Time with Bomani Jones
Now we make our second biggest jump on this list into very quality radio shows. The Right Time has only been on the air for a couple months, but it is really good. Admittedly, I haven’t heard a whole lot of it, but I’ve heard enough to know that Bomani Jones has a really bright future at ESPN. He’s been there a few years now, but I feel like a radio show fits his style really well. He’s a really entertaining personality with interesting opinions. He’s kind of like Cowherd 6.0.
2. SVP and Russillo
This used to be my favorite show, but just because it’s not anymore is not an indictment of it at all. Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo are two of my favorite ESPN personalities and they have tremendous chemistry. I love how they just seem to be two dudes who know a lot about sports, just having a casual conversation about it for three hours a day. They get bonus points from me for talking about college football much more than most national radio shows. Russillo is also one of the smarter NBA guys at the worldwide leader so I normally listen to him when it comes to that. They also do a good job when it comes to non-sports topics, an essential for a good sports radio show.
1. The Dan Le Batard Show
My new favorite show at ESPN Radio, the Dan Le Batard Show has been a staple of Miami radio for over a decade. Last year ESPN reached a deal to broadcast it nationally and radio listeners have benefitted ever since. That is if you’re a sports radio fan who doesn’t take his or her sports radio too seriously. If you like your traditional Mike and Mike, vanilla sports show then Le Batard, Stugotz, and the gang are not for you. However, if you don’t take your radio too seriously then you should really like this show. The former sports writer, now ESPN personality Dan Le Batard and his “hot sports take” co-host Stugotz form a hilarious, if somewhat unlikely team. Them along with their producer Mike Ryan, once-a-week co-host Greg Cote, and the rest of their producers form a show that mocks traditional sports radio shows in a lot of ways and it works really well for me. They have a lot of clips from their show that are endlessly replayable with their hilarity. Sure, some people get mad at the Heat bias that comes from Stugotz and Mike Ryan, however I find their bitterness quite funny now that LeBron’s gone. Ultimately, this show is either your cup of tea or not depending on how much sports you like in your sports radio and it’s definitely my cup of tea.
What do you think of the list? What’s your favorite and least favorite ESPN Radio show? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter @_the5thquarter!
The 5th Quarter 